18-inch locomotives

• Æolus (Tayleur 52; 1837–1867)

This locomotive worked the first train on the Great Western Railway when it opened on 4 June 1838. In 1843 it was fitted with more conventional 6 inch driving and 3 inch carrying wheels with 15 inch cylinders; at some time it was converted to a 2-2-2T tank locomotive. The name Æolus is quite common in Greek mythology, shared by at least three different people.

• Bacchus (Tayleur 53; 1837–1842)

This locomotive was named after Bacchus

Dionysus

Dionysus was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness and ecstasy in Greek mythology. His name in Linear B tablets shows he was worshipped from c. 1500—1100 BC by Mycenean Greeks: other traces of Dionysian-type cult have been found in ancient Minoan Crete...

, the Roman god of the harvest and was later carried by a Pyracmon Class

GWR Pyracmon Class

The Great Western Railway Pyracmon Class 0-6-0 broad gauge steam locomotives for goods train work. This class was introduced into service between November 1847 and April 1848, and withdrawn between August 1871 and December 1873...

 goods locomotive.

• Vulcan (Tayleur 51; 1837–1868)

This locomotive was the first to run on the Great Western Railway when it was tested on 28 December 1837 from its shed at West Drayton

West Drayton railway station

West Drayton railway station is a railway station serving West Drayton, a western suburb of London, England. The station is served by local services operated by First Great Western from to stations.-History:...

. It was withdrawn in 1843 but was rebuilt as a 2-2-2T tank locomotive and returned to service in 1846, running in this form until 1868. It survived for two more years at Reading

Reading, Berkshire

Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....

 as a stationary boiler. Although named after the workshops where it was built, Vulcan

Vulcan (mythology)

Vulcan , aka Mulciber, is the god of beneficial and hindering fire, including the fire of volcanoes in ancient Roman religion and Roman Neopaganism. Vulcan is usually depicted with a thunderbolt. He is known as Sethlans in Etruscan mythology...

 is also the Roman god of fire.

12-inch locomotives

• Apollo (Tayleur 62; 1838–1867)

This locomotive was rebuilt in 1839 with new cylinders 15 by 18 in (381 by 457.2 mm) and was altered to become a 2-2-2T before it ceased work in 1867. It was named after the important Greek god, Apollo

Apollo

Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...

.

• Neptune (Tayleur 63; 1838–1840)

Neptune

Poseidon

Poseidon was the god of the sea, and, as "Earth-Shaker," of the earthquakes in Greek mythology. The name of the sea-god Nethuns in Etruscan was adopted in Latin for Neptune in Roman mythology: both were sea gods analogous to Poseidon...

 is the Roman god of the sea. The name was later carried by one of the Ariadne Class

GWR Ariadne Class

The Great Western Railway Ariadne Class and Caliph class were broad gauge 0-6-0 steam locomotives designed for goods train work by Daniel Gooch and often referred to as his Standard Goods locomotives....

 standard goods locomotives.

• Venus (Tayleur 64; 1838–1870)

This locomotive was withdrawn in 1843 but was rebuilt and returned to service in 1846. It now had 6 in 0 in (1.83 m) driving and 3 in 0 in (0.9144 m) carrying wheels, with 15 by 18 in (381 by 457.2 mm) cylinders; at some time it was also converted to run as a 2-2-2T tank locomotive. The name, which represents the Roman goddess of love

Venus (mythology)

Venus is a Roman goddess principally associated with love, beauty, sex,sexual seduction and fertility, who played a key role in many Roman religious festivals and myths...

, was also carried by a Fire Fly Class

GWR Firefly Class

The Firefly was a class of broad gauge 2-2-2 steam locomotives used for passenger services on the Great Western Railway. The class was introduced into service between March 1840 and December 1842, and withdrawn between December 1863 and July 1879....

locomotive from 1841.